evaluation of a phyto aromatherapy treatment in the management of recurrent cystitis

Conditions: Cystitis Recurrent

Summary: half of the women have a once-in-a-lifetime episode of cystitis. recurrence occurs in about 20% to 30% of patients, and half of these patients will have more than 4 episodes per year, defining recurrent cystitis. the clinical assessment sometimes brings to light favourable factors; variables in pre- or post-menopause; but in the majority of cases, no explanatory cause can solve the problem and some authors refer to resignation as a classic reaction to this problem. several countries have already opted for alternative treatments (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, phytotherapy, diuresis treatment), especially since the pressure of antibiotic selection is at the root of the dramatic spread of bacterial resistances. there is a growing interest in the potential of complementary medicine to assist in this care. products based on cranberries, for example, have been particularly studied and a 2012 cochrane review concluded that there is a benefit with an estimated risk reduction of between 10 and 20%. another "alternative" approach is the use of chinese medicinal herbs. these herbs have been used for more than 2000 years. the implementation of phyto-aromatherapy treatment implies a global management of patients with recurrent cystitis. initially, it involves a curative phase as soon as the first symptoms of the attack appear, thanks to a mixture of antibacterial essential oils. in a second phase, it integrates a preventive phase over several months thanks to an association of medicinal plants whose effects in this field have been proven in vitro and in vivo, allowing to rebalance a "terrain" associating anxiety, hypersensitivity to pain, a terrain willingly associated with the irritable bowel syndrome in these patients. while having few side effects, the plants will act, in the long term, at different levels: directly on the cause of the disease thanks to their antiseptic, antiadhesive and diuretic activities, but also by reducing the symptoms thanks to their anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antispasmodic and anxiolytic activities. investigators hypothesize that patients with recurrent cystitis can be improved by a two-phase, multi-plant, phyto-aromatherapy treatment combining several plants: the treatment of attacks, by aromatherapy, and a prophylactic treatment, by phytotherapy. in the absence of any such studies published in the literature, investigators propose a non-randomised prospective monocentric interventional pilot study on 15 patients with proof of concept and feasibility.


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * women aged 18 or older. * affiliated to social security. * presenting recurrent cystitis defined by a frequency of at least 4 episodes per year. * for women of childbearing age: effective contraception followed for at least 3 months prior to the start of the study and agreeing to keep it throughout the study period * available to consult a phyto-aromatherapy pharmacist for an initial consultation and then every 3 months (m3, 6,9, 12) and then at 18 months. * having been previously explored according to good practice and informed * having signed the informed consent exclusion criteria: * pregnant or breastfeeding women * severe visceral deficiencies in the previous year. * individualised psychiatric pathology. * other progressive infectious pathologies requiring antibiotic treatment. * taking anticoagulants. * concomitant intake of non-drug treatments.